Sunday, August 15, 2004

ventana. lamp.

The Ventana is called a "lamp" but it doesn't particularly look like one, and you don't particularly need to use it like one. I mean, it is a lamp, but it's also a "light curtain" that can swing out and rotate sidewise to act as a room divider, or it can be used as a window treatment. I suppose if you work hard, you could get it to do all three at once.

versatile. ventana.The "V" in Ventana surely stands for "versatile" because it can do even more things. The coolest thing is change size, from a relatively small 12" affair to a whoppingly large 9' long monster. Because it’s built somewhat like a roller shade, to make it bigger you just pull it down and so forth. The "light canister" at the bottom can also rotate 180 degrees to shine up so the whole thing works as an ambient light or down for task lighting.

sizing. it. up.Since that isn't enough variety, you can buy the lamp in two sizes: 15" wide and 12" long, or 30" wide and 18" long. Both unroll to 9'. If you're wondering, the stuff that unrolls is a high-tech UV resistant mesh fiber that's fade resistant. Both versions use halogen bulbs and are available in white or silver. Online they run $400-$500 for the small or $600-$700 for the large.

curious. effect.Although the Ventana seems to fall more on the gimmicky side than the useful side, I wonder what the effect would be if you used it as an illuminated window blind at night? It might be pretty spectacular from the inside and pretty I-don’t-know-what from the outside...